Vienna
by preusterreich
Summary: Rebekka Edelstein has loved Élías Héderváry for a while, but when the war comes, he and everything she holds dear is torn from her grasp. She struggles with poverty while trying to win the man she loves, but a strange man never seems to leave her side...
1. Chapter 1

Welcome and thank you for clicking on my newest story! I really didn't know what to name it, so the title might change in the future. Anyway, this story is pretty much just a PruAus rewrite of one of the most famous stories ever written, Gone With The Wind. I claim no ownership over the story, and some of the lines I use are pulled directly from the book/movie. I just thought that the theme and characters of GWTW fit perfectly with the characters I have written in their places. FemAustria is a perfect Scarlett and Prussia works amazingly as Rhett. My muse wanted me to mix my two favourite things(GWTW and PruAus) in the form of this story! It will be very long, as GWTW is very long in itself. I hope this story will persuade you guys to read GWTW or watch the movie version. I particularly like the movie version better, and that's the one that this story is based off of. As you may or may not know, the story of GWTW is set during the American Civil War and the main issue of the Civil War was slavery, of which there is a lot included in the original story. I have replaced the setting of the American South with Austria, and the black slaves have been replaced with Eastern Europeans, due to a lack of black/African characters in Hetalia, and the American Northerners have been replaced with Scandinavians. I have also changed the time setting from the 1860s to the early 1800s. This is meant entirely as an alternate history AU, and I mean no disrespect to any race with this story(I love everyone!). I really hope that you guys will like it because I have been working hard to make it perfect for you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or GWTW. They belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and Margaret Mitchell respectively.

So you aren't confused by my fanon names and genderbends:

Rebekka Edelstein - Fem Austria

Élías Héderváry - Male Hungary

Now, on with the story! =D

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><p>Rebekka Edelstein was not beautiful, though men seldom realized it when they glanced into her eyes. Blue, but without the pigment of other girls, thus appearing as a violet colour, akin to a summer sunrise. Her eyes held the secret of her charms, but her feminine features played a backup role, for if she hadn't the fair skin of women in the paintings of the Renaissance and the long, luxurious, chocolate hair of a Greek goddess, amethyst eyes would not do much. Her delicate, slightly upturned nose was a trait inherited from her mother, a woman purely of Austrian decent, who once, had seen Mozart perform live. Rebekka owed many of her beautiful features to her mother. An attribute all her own, the delicate beauty mark underneath the left side of her full, cerise-colored lips, was a needed blemish, much like the lean of the tower of Piza, or the crack of the Liberty Bell. They just wouldn't be the same without their abnormalities. Her empire waist day gown was as pure white as freshly fallen snow, with ruffled, billowy sleeves and a belt of violet jewels just below her breasts that glittered in the little sunlight they caught.<p>

Though she wasn't beautiful, men were often fooled by her looks, as the Vargas twins were now. Young men of short stature, though not as short as Rebekka herself, they came around quite often, as if courting the many women in town was their favourite pastime. Italian in heritage, the red-headed boys were almost identical, but their personalities couldn't be more different. The elder of the two, Lovino Vargas, was quite a fiery character, his hair a slightly darker red than that of his brother, Feliciano. He spent quite a bit of his time chasing the women of the area along with his brother, but he was quick to anger. His temper would usually scare off women, but when it didn't, he was a very smooth talker. Feliciano, on the other hand, was nothing but the sweetest boy in the world, always willing to please. Rebekka always thought he would make an amazing husband one day, that is, if he weren't such a scatterbrain. It wasn't that the boy was dumb; he just didn't always stop to think about things before saying them. He always meant well, the young Italian just lacked a certain characteristic called tact. Both Italian boys always seemed to dress the same, furthering the inability to tell them apart. Today, they both happened to be wearing tan riding pants with glossy black boots up to their knees and navy blue cotton overcoats with matching, double-breasted, white waistcoats underneath. Their clothing was, by Rebekka's standards, suitable for lounging on the front porch of her parent's property, Erde, on a late summer day; today, it seemed as if that was all they would be doing.

The two brothers had been kicked out of the University they had been attending in Madrid thanks to their failing grades. Their older, half-brother Antonio, had also left the establishment, saying that if his younger brothers weren't welcome, he didn't feel welcome either, so he had accompanied them back to Salzburg. They would often go stay in their family cabin in the mountains just outside the city, but the twins found it much more fun to stay within city limits. Their fun today included visiting their favourite Austrian fräulein.

"I'm aware that you two aren't incredibly concerned about education, but what about Antonio? I'm sure he wants to finish University sometime soon, and that may be difficult with you two pulling him out of school." She batted her lashes towards Lovino, a look of slight concern crossing her features.

The elder Italian twin brushed off the minor inconvenience. "Oh, we would have left soon anyway. We needed to come home to fight in the war!"

"I don't know about you fratello, but I'm a little scared to fight in the war!" Feliciano gripped Lovino's sleeve. "Those Nords know what they're doing!"

"No they don't!" He spat, wrenching his arm free from his sniveling younger brother. "Besides, Padre told me that we would become heroes during this war! Those Nords are gonna be oh so scared of us! Right, Rebekka?" He turned to her with an expectant smile.

She sighed, already sick of this war talk. She heard her father talk about it all the time, so she hoped some of the younger boys would have different topics in mind. "There isn't going to be any war. Those Nords are way too scared to fight us."

"See Feli, they'll be running scared of us." His brows furrowed together in realization of what the lady beside them had just said. "No war? Of course there's going to be a war. Aren't you excited, Rebekka? We're going to beat them so fast!"

Feliciano interjected. "Yeah, I hope we get to be heroes! I'm excited now!"

"Oh, must you always talk about this silly war? If I hear the dreaded word 'war' come out of either of your mouths again, I'll go inside and I won't speak to you for the rest of the day." She looked both of them in the eyes to prove she was serious.

"Don't you want us to be war heroes?" Feliciano slapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he had said. She stood, irritated, and turned to go back into her parent's manor. The Vargas boys stood quickly and followed, Feliciano begging her to reconsider. "Please Rebekka! I'm sorry I said war! Oh darn, I said it again! Umm, just stay! Please!"

"Yeah, don't listen to him, he's just tactless! We'll talk about whatever you want!" Lovino strained his mind for a topic that might interest her. "How about the party that the Héderváry's are holding at their place? I heard it's gonna be lots of fun! I heard they're gonna have a fortune teller!"

She stopped just short of the door. She had almost forgotten about the Héderváry's party while talking with the twins. A sudden wave of excitement tore through her like a strong wind. She would be able to see Éliás Héderváry there. She turned back to the boys.

"Okay, I'll sit with you. No more war talk?" Questioningly, she glanced at them as she made her way back to her seat on the steps.

"Honest!" They replied in unison.

She sat, happy that she had gotten off the topic of war. "I don't like really like fortune tellers, one once told me that I was going to marry an arrogant man with pure-white hair. Me? Marrying and arrogant, old man? I would never marry someone like that."

Feliciano nudged her arm. "Well, are you at least going to dance with us at the ball afterwards?" Lovino nodded, as if to second his brother's question.

"You know I would." She began. The boys' faces lit up like fireflies on a summer night. "That is," she continued, "if I hadn't already promised all my dances to other gentlemen."

The twins' faces fell, as if shot through the heart. "Wait!" Feliciano perked up. "What if we tell you a secret?"

"What secret, fratello?" Confused, Lovino glanced at his brother.

"You know the one! About Fräulein Lilian Zwingli?"

"Oh, that one!" A smile graced the elder twin's face once more. "That she's visiting from Switzerland and tomorrow, at the party it's going to be announced tha-"

"Lilian Zwingli, she's so boring. Who would want to know a secret about her?" Rebekka was suddenly disappointed. Who _would_ want to know a secret about her? Rebekka certainly didn't care.

Feliciano spoke up. "Fräulein Lilian Zwingli and her brother Vash are visiting from Switzerland. You know, Éliás Héderváry's cousins? Well, it's going to be announced at the party tomorrow that Éliás is going to marry her!"

Rebekka paled. Was this really true? She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it!

Lovino's hand came to rest lightly upon her shoulder. "So, do we get those dances now?"

"Of course." She said quietly and stood, beginning to make her way down the driveway. The twins were cheering behind her, delighted that they were promised a dance with the lovely, young woman. They barely noticed as she walked off, only realizing she was gone as she began to run down the front walk to wait for her father to return from the Héderváry home.

"Rebekka! Come back!" Lovino called as they both stared off after her.

Feliciano turned to his brother. "Do you think we made her mad?"

At that moment, the Edelstein family housemaid poked her head out of one of a second story window to see Rebekka running down the driveway toward the road. The Edelstein family housemaid was a woman, about the age of thirty, by the name of Natalya. Born in western Russia, she was a very tough woman. She travelled to Austria when she was a teenager and found work with Rebekka's family. She had hard, cold eyes that could make any misbehaving child smarten up real quick and pale skin inherited from her parents. With her long blonde hair, she was quite pretty, and if made up, she had the potential to look very beautiful. She always wore her hair back with a white ribbon, to keep it out of the way of her work, and she was always very determined in her duties. It was almost as if she were the real head of the Edelstein household. She cared for Rebekka, but sometimes, Rebekka could be difficult.

"Fräulein Rebekka!" She belted out to the young woman now walking across the grass, Russian accent thick in her voice. "Where do you think you're going at such a time dressed so lightly! You get back in the house before you catch cold!"

Rebekka turned to yell at her. "No! I'm going to wait for Vater to come back from the Héderváry's place, and don't you try to stop me!" The young woman was determined to get to the bottom of this mess.

Natalya's eyes narrowed into a glare. "You get back here now! Come on!" But it was no use, Rebekka had gone, and, holding the front of her gown, she made her way down toward the driveway as fast as her blue satin slippers could carry her. The branches of ancient oak trees dangled high above her head as she reached the main dirt road. She sat down upon a stump, awaiting her father's return. She let her eyes wander up the beaten path and up the next few hills, for just beyond those hills was the Héderváry's manor.

"Oh, Éliás." She thought. The horrid gossip she had heard from the Vargas boys was stored away in the back of her mind as she thought of him fondly. She had known him for almost all her life, but it was not until recently that she had felt more than just friendship for him. She could remember the day two years ago quite vividly. Éliás had just returned from a three-year stay in the United States and had come to visit her and tell her of his journey, all the sights he had seen, and things he had learned. On that day, she fell for him. He had ridden up on a beautiful steed, in some high-quality clothes purchased in New York. His pale-green satin overcoat accented his wheat-brown hair in such a way that it seemed to shine in the light of the day, a small pink flower tucked just above his right ear, with a forest-green ribbon keeping his hair in a neat bundle on the same side, while his perfectly pressed, white shirt with a graciously ruffled cravat offset everything quite nicely. Just above the cravat, he wore a pin encrusted with a fine emerald, the same hue as his eyes. His white riding pants held not a speck of dirt, and his boots were the shiniest she could ever remember. He had dismounted his horse and approached her gallantly, and, taking her hand in his, he lay a light kiss upon her fingers.

With just a twinge of a Hungarian accent, he said to her, "So, you've grown up, Rebekka." She would never forget how her heart leapt that day, and she knew she wanted him, as simply as she knew she wanted food to eat, horses to ride, and an amazing grand piano upon which to play her favourite songs. Ever since that day, he had attended balls with her, taken her to picnics, and escorted her to parties. He did not accompany her to as many gatherings as the Vargas twins, but still, the parties to which he had gone were by far her favourite parties. His emerald eyes had never held the same fire that she had noticed in other boys who came calling, but she still knew. She still knew he loved her. She was never more sure of anything in her life. Why did he not tell her? She never did understand, but, thinking back about the matter at hand, there were many things about him that she did not understand. He always spoke of his trips and of wars and of America, things that never interested her, yet she could not help but feel entranced. She often lay awake in her bed after a day with him, finding comfort in the idea that next time they met, he would certainly propose.

But the next time came, and went, the result always the same. Nothing happened except for her lust for him growing and growing. She wanted desperately for him to marry her, but she never did understand him. She knew not why he captivated her so. His odd, aloof personality only served to entice her more. She was determined that he would propose to her, for she was too young and spoiled to believe otherwise. And now, this monstrous news had torn her heart in two, enraging her as much as a lady could be while still remaining proper in the eyes of friends. Éliás was going to marry Lilian? It really couldn't be.

Just noticing her father, perched upon his favourite horse, riding across a field in the distance at a breakneck speed, she stood with excitement. She would finally know the answer to this puzzle. Her father, Johannes Edelstein, was born in the Northwestern Holy Roman Empire, in the areas seceded by the United States of Belgium, in the Austrian Netherlands. He was a very proud man and an untouchable horseman. His blonde hair was usually wildly out of place; that was always attributed to his adventures on horseback. He loved to jump fences, but because he had broken his knee a few years earlier, Rebekka's mother had made him swear he would never jump again. Of course, that didn't stop him. He reveled in the boyish glee he got from disobeying his promise, blue eyes shining, but he was not aware of his daughter's presence. He and his horse soared over a fence and came to a stop in the middle of the front yard. Rebekka, holding the front of her dress slightly off the ground, ran over to her father, eager to ask him about his day at the Héderváry house.

He dismounted his horse as he noticed her coming towards him. "Rebekka! I guess you're going to tell your mother I've been jumping?"

She came to a halt in front of him and started straightening his overcoat, so he could look presentable for her mother. "Oh, you know I would never do that." She fixed his cravat and they started to walk towards the house.

"Aww, you're a good girl. Say, where are your glasses? You know you're supposed to wear them."

"Vater, I hate those things! They make me look so homely and undesirable. Besides, I only really need them for reading. I can see perfectly fine without them."

"Well, then what are you doing out so late wearing so little? You'll catch cold!"

She slipped her arm through his. "I was waiting for you. I didn't know you would be so late. I was wondering how everything over at the Héderváry's place went." Rebekka wondered how to bring up Éliás without sounding suspicious. She was not the best at being subtle, and with Johannes so much like her, they could each tell when the other was up to something.

"Pretty normal, they had a visitor from Vienna, talking all about the war and other such things."

Rebekka cringed, for when her father got on the subject of war it was difficult to get him off of it. "Did they say anything about the party tomorrow?"

Johannes' eyes widened. "Now that I think of it, they did! Little Fräulein Lilian Zwingli and her older brother Vash, you know, the Héderváry's cousins? They're visiting from Switzerland."

Rebekka's heart sank the slightest bit, but she didn't let it show to her father. "So, she did come?"

"She did, and she's the sweetest girl I've ever seen. Never anything bad to say about anyone." The way Johannes approved of Lilian's sweet and quiet nature irritated Rebekka.

"Was Éliás there too?" She asked, trying to sound innocent, but he saw right through her.

"He was." He let go of her arm and turned her to face him, looking questioningly into her eyes. "Is that why you came out to wait for me? Why didn't you say so?"

Rebekka stood silent, unable to think of a response, her face growing redder as each second passed.

"Well, he was there, and he asked about you. He was hoping that nothing would keep you from the party tomorrow." He said, taking her arm again. "Now, what's this about you and Éliás?"

She tugged her arm away. "It's nothing. Let's go inside." She replied, walking ahead of her father up the path to the house, but her father stayed still.

"Now that I think of it, you have been acting strange recently. Has he asked to marry you?"

"No." She answered bluntly.

Her father made his way to her. "And he won't! Éliás and Felicja's father Miklos Héderváry told me today that Éliás is to marry Fräulein Zwingli! It will be announced tomorrow at the party."

So it was true. A pain ripped at her heart as viciously as the soldiers of war.

"Have you been making a spectacle of yourself? Chasing after a man who doesn't love you, when you could have any man in town?"

"I haven't been chasing after him, I'm just surprised, that's all."

"You're lying." He could always see right through her. "I'm sorry." He added sympathetically. "But you're young and you can get any man in the area. You'll find someone."

"Mother was only fifteen when she married you, and I'm sixteen. You can't say I'm young."

"She was different. She's not flighty, like you. Come now, Rebekka. Cheer up."

_"He thinks I'm a child."_ She thought, angry at being treated as such. She turned away from her father.

"Now, don't be upset. If you had any sense, you would have married one of the Vargas twins long ago. Think about it. If you marry one of them, our families would run together! Then Emilio Vargas and I would build you two a glorious house right in between our two properties and-"

"Would you stop treating me like a child?" Rebekka intervened. "I don't want to marry one of the twins, or have a big house, I just want-" She stopped herself before the last word could escape her lips. Unfortunately, the damage was done.

"It's only Éliás you want, but you won't have him. If he had asked to marry you, I would say yes because of my deep friendship with Miklos, but I would doubt it would be the right thing to do." Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he continued. "I want my daughter to be happy, and you wouldn't be happy with him."

She tensed her body, pleading with her father. "But I would! I would!"

Johannes rested a hand lightly upon her shoulder. "You wouldn't. He is too different from us. Only when you marry someone like yourself, can you be happy. The Héderváry folk, they're odd, and it's best that they marry their cousins and keep their oddness to themselves."

Rebekka spoke up, angry that her father could say that Éliás was weird. "But Éliás isn't-"

"Hush up! I never said anything bad about him, I do like the boy, but I just don't understand him."

"Oh Vater, if I married him I would change him!" She cried.

Her father laughed. "If you think you could change him then you know nothing about men and even less about Éliás! Their whole family is weird; they're born that way."

She stood silent.

Johannes patted her arm in consolation. "There, there. When I'm gone, I'll leave Erde to you and the Vargas twin you marry."

"I don't want to marry one of the Vargas twins, and I don't want Erde. This place doesn't matter when I can't ha-"

"Rebekka Edelstein, are you saying that this land doesn't matter?" This land, Erde, was second only to his wife, Klara Edelstein. "This land and our money are the only things that matter, because they are the only things that last!"

"Vater, you sound like Philipp Wilhelm von Hörnigk."

"He was from the Holy Roman Empire and an Austrian civil servant, and I'm glad that I am too from the Holy Roman Empire. And don't forget that you are also Austrian, and to any Austrian, land and money are what matter most in the world." He stopped, holding her hand in his. "But, you're young. You'll understand someday. You can't get away from it, if you're Austrian."

"Oh Vater." She sighed. At this point, Johannes was tired of the conversation and upset that Rebekka still looked disappointed even though she had a choice of any man in town and had just been offered his pride and joy, Erde. He preferred his gifts to be received with joy.

"Now, none of those sad faces. It doesn't matter who you marry, as long as he's Germanic and thinks like you and is prideful. Love comes after marriage."

"That's such an old country idea." She sometimes thought her father's ideas to be very outdated.

"But it's still a good idea! The best marriages are when the parents choose for the girl. How are you supposed to tell a good man from a scoundrel? Just look at the Héderváry family. They've stayed prideful and strong because they marry like-minded people! Even if those people happen to be their cousins, it's still a good idea. That's how their family lasts." His words struck her heart like a knife, for she knew that he was right.

He noticed her bowed head and took her chin in his hands. "You aren't crying, are you?"

She shook her head. "No." She sniffed.

"You're lying," He answered. "and I'm proud of it. I'm glad there's still pride in you. I want to see that pride tomorrow at the party. I don't want to have the whole town laughing at you for running after a man who doesn't love you and never gave you a thought past friendship."

_"But he did give me a thought."_ She thought, pain deep in her soul. _"I know he did. If only I had more time, I know I could get him to say he loves me."_

Johannes twined their arms. "We're going in for dinner now." He ducked in close to whisper to her. "This is just between us. I don't want to worry Klara with this, and I don't want you telling her either." They started up the driveway, arm in arm, and Rebekka was going to say something more, but stopped herself when she noticed her mother getting ready to go out. She had with her the bag of instruments she used to give medical attention to the workers when they needed it.

"Johannes, Little Fräulein Anna Petersen from the house up the street is in the midst of giving birth. I'm going there with Natalya to see what I can do. Sit in at the dinner table for me, darling Rebekka." And with that, she swept by and out the door to the awaiting carriage, her dark hair, the same tone as Rebekka's, tied up in a loose bun, with a single curl dangling down the right side of her face, and her simple, cream-colored day gown flowing out behind her. Through her tears and heartache, her mother's touch never failed to soothe Rebekka. There was something about her mother with she adored and looked up to. Klara was always soft-spoken and caring, everything that Rebekka wished she could be.

"Now, we must be going. Drive carefully." Klara called lightly to the carriage driver, and they started down the driveway.

"Now, I just don't understand why your Mutter has to be bothering with those Nords, they should be living up in Norway, where they belong." Both Rebekka and Johannes climbed the steps into the house, ready to set the dinner table, when Johannes had a wry look come over his face.

"Hey, I just had a fun idea. Let's go tell Toris that I've sold him to Miklos Héderváry! Just imagine the look on his face!" He started off up the stairs to the second floor, his mind set on playing this practical joke on his most treasured house servant.

Rebekka thought it not odd that she desired a relationship with Éliás, a supposed 'odd' character, when she observed her parents, for she had never come across two people who were more different in actions, thoughts, and habits.

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><p>Hope you are enjoying it so far! Oh and I'd really love it if you could leave me some awesome reviews! :D<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter, it's mostly just filler, and it's pretty short. Sorry about that! :(

So you aren't confused by my fanon names:

Anna Petersen - Fem Norway

Mathias Køhler - Denmark

Emma Edelstien - Belgium

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><p>That night, Rebekka waited impatiently for her mother to return from the Petersen home, desperately needing even just her mother's presence to soothe her heartache. All throughout dinner she had waited, through the sound of her father's boisterous war talk and stories.<p>

Finally, around nine, she heard the wheels of her mother's carriage creaking up the driveway, and she suddenly felt pacified. She quickly moved to the front door to find Toris already there, lantern in hand, ready to greet Klara and welcome her home.

As her mother made her way up the steps and into the house, she glanced toward Rebekka. "I'm sorry I'm so late." She swept past Rebekka and walked into the living room, closing in on Johannes.

"You know, you really shouldn't bother with those Petersens. They only stay here in Austria because of the charity we show them. Maybe if we stopped, they would go back up north, where they belong." Johannes always had to make it known just how much he despised the Petersens.

Klara leant to whisper in Johannes' ear. His eyes suddenly went wide, but for only a second. "Really?" He questioned. "Dead?"

Klara nodded her head quickly. "Poor thing. I thought Anna would die too, but now I'm sure she'll be fine. Now, let us not speak of this anymore, it's almost time for bed." Rebekka listened intently from the next room, keen on finding out just who the father of Anna Petersen's baby was. She knew she would never learn this information from her mother, but she had a feeling that the father was Mathias Køhler, a blonde, Danish man and Erde's overseer. She had seen the two walking together during some nights, apparently getting along due to their Nordic background.

Natalya protested behind Klara. "There will be no sleep for you until you eat some supper, Frau Klara."

"Thank you Natalya, but I'm not hungry." Klara spoke softly to Natalya, but in the back of her mind, she knew that Natalya would not let up until she had eaten a meal.

"I don't care. You need supper, and you'll be eating before you sleep." She called out to the cook. "Eduard! Fetch a plate of food for Frau Klara!" A few seconds later, the blonde cook came from the kitchen with a plate of food for her, setting it down on the table and backing out of the room and away from Natalya. Klara sat down to start on her supper and was quickly bombarded with demands and thoughts from her youngest daughter, Emma.

"Oh Mutter, I want to wear Rebekka's blue gown to the party tomorrow, my dress has a hole in it, and I look nicer in blue than violet! Mend my gown and give it to Rebekka! She looks lovely in violet!"

"Emma, dear, you look beautiful in violet, it matches your complexion, as blue matches Rebekka's complexion. But, darling, you can wear my garnet necklace; it looks lovely on you." The young blonde smirked at Rebekka, for Rebekka had been planning to ask for the necklace for herself tomorrow. She stuck out her tongue at Emma. She had always found Emma's stuck up attitude to be quite annoying and would often have punished Emma in her own ways if it weren't for her mother's gentle hand. Though, pulling that perfectly tied, red ribbon out of her blonde hair was always tempting.

When Klara's dish was empty, she stood up from her seat at the dining table. "It is nearly ten o'clock. The girls should have been asleep long ago. Toris, fetch my prayer book."

The muddy haired house servant pulled open the drawer that contained Klara's prayer book, worn from daily use, and handed it graciously to her. They all gathered around the table as Klara opened the book. Everyone in the family prayed, even the servants, and it was one of the high times of the day for them. Klara thanked God for the well-being of her family and servants, and she prayed for all the souls she had lost throughout the years.

Rebekka always felt at peace when her mother prayed. She began to forget about what had happened that day and stopped thinking about what was going to happen tomorrow as she gazed into her mother's serene face. As Klara looked toward the kingdom of God, Rebekka's thoughts began to wander back to Élías. How could he marry Lillian? He loved her, and he knew how much Rebekka loved him. How could he deliberately break her heart?

Suddenly, an idea raced through her mind.

"He doesn't know that I love him!" She whispered, barely audible to even her own ears. "How would he know? I've always acted so prissy and lady-like around him; he probably thinks I only like him as a friend! That's why he's never confessed to me. He thinks his love is unrequited. He's broken-hearted because he thinks I'm in love with one of the Vargas boys. He's probably just marrying Lillian to please his family because he thinks he hasn't got a chance with me. But if he knew I loved him..." She suddenly felt her spirits lift to an emotion much more than just happiness. "He wouldn't marry her if he knew I loved him. How could he?"

She noticed that Klara and Emma had their eyes upon her, and she quickly returned to her prayer.

Once the last amen had been said, the family made their way up to their bedrooms. Rebekka was about to open the door to her room when she heard her mother's soft voice from across the hall.

"Johannes, you must dismiss Mathias Køhler first thing tomorrow morning."

"What? But he's the best overseer in town!"

Klara didn't waver. "He must be dismissed tomorrow morning. Ivan is a good foreman, and he can take over until you can find someone to replace him."

His eyes suddenly wide, Johannes gasped. "So it was him! Him and little Anna!"

"He must be dismissed." She paused for a split second between each word.

"So, he is the father of Anna Petersen's baby." Rebekka thought. She listened for a few more seconds to see if she could catch any more conversation between her parents, but there was nothing more for her to hear, so she opened her bedroom door and slipped quietly inside.

By the time she had undressed and gotten into bed, her plan was finished and foolproof. First, she would be as happy as she had always been, never letting anyone know that, just the other day, she had felt heartache unparalleled. Next, she would flirt with every man there. Sure, that would be cruel to Élías, but it would make him yearn for her even more. She would not overlook any man; from Ludwig Strahler -Emma's interest- to Vash Zwingli -Lillian's older brother. The men would swarm around her, and Élías would definitely feel her pull and join the swarm. Then, she would somehow get a few moments alone with him. She hoped it would all work out this way; otherwise it would be much more difficult to get his attention. When she had him alone, he would be amazed at just how many men wanted her. He would have a look of sadness in his eyes, but she would tell him that she only wanted him. She would tell him that, above all other men in the world, she wanted him, and he would be happy. She could picture it in her mind already. She could hear his proposal. They would run off to Vienna together, by this time tomorrow, she may be Frau Élías Héderváry! Her heart swelled with joy, but was quickly pushed back down. What if it didn't happen that way? She removed that thought from her mind.

"I can't think about that now. Things will work out my way, I know it." She lay down under her blankets and wrapped herself tight inside them. Tomorrow would be the day that she would win him.

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><p>I feel like this chapter is far too short! I'm sorry for making you wait so long for this one; I promise to update faster next time! (plus the next chapter will be longer...)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three is finally here! This one is a bit longer; I hope you like it! :)

So you aren't confused by my fanon names:

Felicja Héderváry - Fem Poland

Alice Kirkland - Fem England

Also, in this story, Ludwig is not related to Gilbert at all, hence why Ludwig has a different last name: Strahler.

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><p>It was ten in the morning, and a warm day for April. Summer was already beginning to show. Blossoms and trees were alive, and the birds sang loudly. Usually Rebekka would lean out her window to enjoy the day, but today, she could not be bothered to care. Her hair was done up in a loose bun with chocolate curls framing her face. After she had finished with her hair, she had tried on dresses all morning, trying to find the perfect one to draw Élías' eye, and as her gaze settled upon her ivory gown, she knew.<p>

"Perfect!" Rebekka felt a sweet sense of revenge welling up inside her. If Emma got her mother's garnet necklace, then what could be more fun than not even wearing the dress that Emma had begged for yesterday? Emma couldn't have it, even if Rebekka wasn't wearing it. Though, that wasn't the only reason she wanted to wear her ivory dress instead; it really was a beautiful dress. It was made out of chiffon and silk, and the cap sleeves, almost reaching her elbows, were trimmed with pure white lace, and the chiffon caught the sunlight, sparkling. The neckline was rounded, resting just above her breasts, with a long, violet ribbon, the same color as her eyes, tied underneath her bosom, hanging nearly to the floor. She added light blue slippers and a cameo necklace to the outfit, and she was ready.

"Fräulein Rebekka, you aren't going anywhere until you eat something." Natalya's voice was the very sound of dread to Rebekka at this moment.

"No, I'll save my eating for the party; Élías said he likes a girl with a good appetite." She said, tying her bonnet just under her left ear and making her way toward the door.

"What men say and what they think are two different things, Fräulein Rebekka. And I haven't noticed Herr Élías asking to marry you."

Rebekka turned sharply to scowl at Natalya. The blonde housemaid grinned in satisfaction. As Rebekka sat down at her table and began to shovel food into her mouth, Natalya ran over to her to wrap a napkin around her neck.

"Don't be dropping crumbs and food on your gown! And don't eat so fast!"

Suddenly, from out of the window, she could hear her father's bellowing voice. "Rebekka! If you're not down here in thirty seconds, we're leaving without you!"

She jumped out of her seat and ran to the window. "I'm coming, Vater!" She rushed to the door and left in a flash. She quickly walked down the stairs and ran outside to the carriage.

"That's my girl! Now, everybody in!" Rebekka, Emma, and Johannes climbed into the carriage, and Johannes told the driver to go.

Rebekka was happy that her mother would not be attending the party with them. She could eat and flirt and dance as much as she wanted and not have her mother on her back the whole time, though she was sure that Emma would tell on her tomorrow. If her plan worked out, that wouldn't matter, she and Élías would be in Vienna and married by the end of the day, and the joy of the marriage would much outweigh the anger of Rebekka being so wild.

That morning, Johannes had dismissed Mathias Køhler, and Klara had stayed behind to go over the accounts with him before he took his departure. Rebekka had kissed her mother goodbye that morning, and Herr Køhler had stood beside her, his youthful face hardly containing the look of pure hate that he felt at being so ridiculously kicked out of the best overseer's job in town just for who he loved.

The day, Rebekka believed, was the most gorgeous day in a long while. She breathed in the scents of the morning while she thought of her perfect plan unfolding exactly the way she wanted it to. She would tell her children and grandchildren of the beautiful spring when she married Élías, and she would tell them that they would never see a spring more beautiful. It was impossible for her to feel anything but delight this morning, and she even joined her father on a chorus of one of his favorite old songs.

"I don't know what's gotten into you this morning." Emma stated harshly. "I don't know why you're so happy." Emma was dreadfully upset that she was not allowed to wear Rebekka's blue dress to the party. When she had seen that Rebekka was not even going to wear the dress, she had been furious. Rebekka knew that, and frankly, she didn't care. This perfect day would not be ruined by Emma's prissy attitude. "I know Élías is going to announce his engagement to Fräulein Lilian tonight at the ball, and I know you've been after him for months."

"That's all you know." Rebekka smirked at her and turned back to look out the window, sunlight streaming in. Emma scowled.

The Edelstein carriage slowed as Rebekka noticed the glorious Héderváry home out the window. Tall and stately, the house was like a palace, and a dull roar of voices escaped from the property as the carriage turned up the driveway. Excitement took hold of Rebekka. It would only be a few minutes until she could tell Élías about her feelings, and it would only be a few minutes until he would return them. The horses padded to a halt, and the girls exited the carriage to be greeted by Miklos himself. He waited out front to greet every guest as they arrived. The Héderváry family was known throughout the country for their amazing hospitality. Rebekka looked around the spacious yard, noticing just how many people were there. In her thoughts, it seemed like just about the whole town was there. She and Emma climbed the steps and were greeted by Élías' sister, Felicja. Rebekka didn't like Felicja one bit. While Emma got along with her quite well, Rebekka found her to be arrogant and ditzy. Johannes always complimented Felicja on her gorgeous green eyes and blonde hair, but Rebekka knew he didn't really mean it. Felicja was plain.

"Miklos! Nice to see you again! It's a lovely day for a party, don't you think?" She heard her father exclaim as she stepped into the house and out of earshot. Left and right, men paid her their every notice, and she smiled back to all of them, until she caught sight of Élías on the grand staircase in the entry hall.

"Élías!" She called out to him. "Oh Élías, I have something I must tell you."

He glanced down toward the doorway. "Rebekka, I'm glad to see you. I have something to tell you as well. I hope you'll be glad to hear it. Come say hello to my cousin Lilian."

Rebekka hesitated. "Must we?"

"She's been looking forward to seeing you again." Élías said gently as he led her down the staircase. "Lilian! Here's Rebekka."

She turned to Rebekka with grace, a gown of the lightest pink silk and chiffon cascading to the floor, and her hair, a perfect blonde tone, done up in a loose braid and hanging just to the left of her face. "Rebekka! It's so nice to see you again."

Feigning innocence, Rebekka laughed. "Lilian Zwingli, what a surprise to see you here! I hope you'll stay with us for a few days at least!" Élías took Lilian's hand in his.

"I hope to stay much longer, long enough for us to become good friends Rebekka. I would really like that."

"Oh we'll have to just make a big fuss over her, won't we Élías? We'll show her a real good time, won't we?"

Lilian smiled. "Rebekka, you have so much love. I wish I could be like you."

"Oh Lilian, you shouldn't say things you don't mean." Rebekka laughed.

"No one could accuse Lilian of being insincere." Élías said more to Lilian than to Rebekka.

"Oh then she's not like you, is she Élías?" She looked to Lilian. " Élías never means a word he says to any girl, isn't that right?"

At that moment, Rebekka was interrupted by Lilian's older brother, Vash Zwingli. He was a rather plain boy, quite shy around girls, but he held a quick temper behind his green eyes and mop of brilliant blonde hair. Though, he would never show his temper in the presence of a lady.

"Oh Vash Zwingli, I haven't seen you in ages!" She extended a hand to him, and he blushed and laid a shy kiss on the back of it.

"Fräulein Rebekka, I-"

"Lilian, did you bring your handsome brother all the way over from Switzerland just to break my poor, Austrian heart?"

From across the room, Emma and Felicja watched as Rebekka threw herself at Vash.

"Look at that, Rebekka never cared a bit for Vash before, and now she's after him because he's yours!" Emma said. Even though Vash had an agreement to marry Felicja, he was not happy about it. She didn't spark a passion inside of him. He had always wanted to marry someone fiery and beautiful, and now, Rebekka Edelstein was here flirting with him!

"Vash Zwingli, you better save me a seat next to you for lunch! And don't you go talking to any other girls, or I'll be very jealous!" She turned to head up the stairs.

He finally managed to croak out an answer. "I-I won't, Fräulein Rebekka! D-don't worry!"

As she started up the stairs, Ludwig Strahler noticed her.

"You look beautiful today, Fräulein Rebekka." He took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Why, Ludwig Strahler, danke! And I have to say that you look quite handsome as well. Your new haircut looks dashing." She fluttered her eyelashes playfully.

Ludwig blushed and ran a hand over his perfectly slicked-back, blonde hair. "D-danke, Fräulein Rebekka."

Emma and Felicja still had their eyes glued to her.

Felicja laughed. "You should really be careful too, now she's got her eye on your man!" Emma scowled at her sister. She was not going to stand for this.

"Oh Ludwig, if I saved you a seat next to me for lunch, would you join me?"

Emma suddenly wrapped a firm hand around Ludwig's arm and pulled him away from Rebekka, sneering at her sister.

"Uhh, I'll s-see what I can do, Fräulein Rebekka."

She shrugged and continued up the stairs, meeting the Vargas boys halfway. "Feliciano and Lovino Vargas! You handsome young things! Oh wait, I forgot that I'm mad at you!"

Both boys were suddenly very upset and jumped away from the women they were with, both bombarding Rebekka with questions of "Why?" and "What did we do?"

"You haven t talked to me all morning, and I only wore this old dress because I thought you liked it! I was planning on eating lunch with you two!"

"You will be!" Lovino cried.

"Yeah, we wanna eat lunch with you too!"

"Oh, you two. I can never decide who's more handsome." She turned to continue up the steps. "Really! I was up all night last night trying to figure it out." She climbed a few steps, leaving them staring at her, until their dates pulled them away from her and down the grand staircase.

As she made her way up the stairs, she noticed a man staring at her from the bottom floor. He was standing a few feet away from where she had been talking with Vash. She noticed her friend Alice and moved quickly toward her.

"Alice, who's that man down there? The one looking at us and smirking?"

"Don't you know, love? That's Gilbert Beilschmidt! He's from Prussia, and apparently he's got a horrible reputation."

Rebekka looked down slyly at him. He had silver-white hair even though he looked no older than twenty-two. He grinned up at her with a look she had never seen a gentleman give her. She felt as though she should be offended at his gaze, and she was mad at herself that she wasn't.

"What did he do to get such a bad reputation?" Rebekka asked.

"Well, I heard he took a girl out for a carriage ride in the late afternoon without a chaperone, stayed out almost all night, and then, the next day he refused to marry her! He said he hadn't done anything to her, so he didn't feel obligated to marry her! The girl's brother confronted him about it, they had a duel, Herr Beilschmidt shot him, and he died! Now, no one back home accepts him or talks to him, not even his parents!"

Rebekka leaned in to whisper in Alice's ear. "Did she have a baby?"

"No, but that didn t stop the rumours."

"I wish Élías had compromised me like that. Then, he'd be too much of a gentleman to not marry me." She thought, though part of her respected Beilschmidt for refusing to marry that fool of a girl.

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><p>Thanks for reading! :)<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's got one of my favourite scenes in it! Anyway, I won't keep you occupied here for too long! On to the story!

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><p>Rebekka was seated away from the other guests while she ate her lunch. This strategic placement allowed her to have many men crowd around her, as opposed to just one on either side as at a table; however, even though she had as many as fifteen men around her at this moment, she had never felt more miserable in her life. She couldn't understand it, but all of the plans she had formulated last night had failed. She had attracted plenty of other men, but not Élías. He had made no effort to join her group of men, and she had not even talked to him since the run-in with Lilian. Lilian who barely came up to his shoulder.<p>

She was a tiny woman. So tiny, in fact, that she looked like a child wearing her mother's clothes. She was small and frail-looking. She had a shy, frightened look in her turquoise eyes at every minute of the day. When Lilian commented on how pretty she thought Rebekka's gown was, it was hard for Rebekka to reply back civilly. With every part of her being, she wanted to speak alone with Élías, but he had sat with Lilian ever since Rebekka had talked with them that morning. She tried to keep her eyes away from them, and whenever she would glance their way, she would turn away quickly and focus her attention back on the men around her, flirting and acting as though she hadn't a care in the world.

Vash Zwingli was on her right, refusing to move from the spot and sending glares at the Vargas twins when they tried to take it from him. Ludwig Strahler was on her left, though he was frequently running to the dessert table to get her small bites to eat as if he were unaware of the dozen servants at the party for simply that reason. As a result, Emma was glaring at her from across the yard, undoubtedly wishing for her to burst into flames.

Rebekka glanced over to see if Élías had taken an interest in her yet, but found that he was still engrossed in talking to Lilian. She felt as though she could claw and scratch at Lilian's pure skin and feel good about doing it. Across the yard, she noticed Gilbert Beilschmidt talking with Miklos Héderváry. She locked eyes with him, and he laughed. She had the oddest feeling that he knew just what she was hiding behind her liveliness, could see that it wasn't working, and he was laughing at her for failing. She felt she could claw him too.

"If I can just make it through the afternoon," Rebekka thought. "then I can stay downstairs while all the other girls take their naps upstairs to be fresh for the ball tonight. Then I can talk to Élías alone."

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><p>The young ladies were becoming tired in the mid-day heat, for it was already 2 o'clock. Felicja went around to every table signalling the end of the morning's festivities and the beginning of naptime. As all the girls climbed the staircase to the bedrooms, Rebekka stayed behind. The men filed into the living room, and she waited. She waited to have her chance to speak alone with Élías. The men began to talk of the war.<p>

Johannes spoke first. "Miklos, you were telling me earlier that you hoped that there would be no war! You can't say you don't want to fight! The Northerners have insulted our religion and our way of life! We will fight and we will beat them! Nords can't fight and we can!" A boom of approving voices was heard.

"They'll see us and they'll turn and run, every one of them!" Lovino added.

"One of us can take on twenty of them! We'll beat them in one battle!" Vash said.

Johannes turned to Élías. "What does the Captain of our troops say?"

Élías looked up to face the crowd. "Boys, if the continent fights, I will fight with it, but I too hope that the North does not wish to fight and will leave us be."

Vash spoke. "But Élías, they have insulted us! You aren't saying you don't want war?"

"Wars always cause misery. Is the outcome of war ever worth the lives lost?" A sea of voices exploded around him, but Johannes quickly stepped in.

"Now, now gentlemen, apparently Mister Beilschmidt has been up north! What do you have to say about all this, sir? Don't you agree with us, Mister Beilschmidt?"

"I'd say it's hard winning a war with words." His grating, yet somehow fluid voice had to be one of the oddest Rebekka had ever heard, and there was a proudness about him. There was an air of contempt in his voice.

"What do you mean, sir?" Vash spat, obviously offended by his tone and words.

"I mean I've lived in the northern countries for a few years and the north is simply better equipped than we are. They have cannon and iron factories, shipyards, a fleet, and immigrants willing to fight on their side for a few coins a day. All we have is our servants, churches, farms, and arrogance."

"Are you hinting that the Nords could beat us?" Vash protested fiercely.

He chuckled, tapping his boot heel on the floor and adjusting his neck cloth. "No, I'm not hinting."

A fire burned in Rebekka's heart, but a part of her knew that what this man said was right. It sounded like common sense. Dozens of voices exploded through the air once more, but Vash's voice was high above the rest.

"I refuse to listen to your treachery!" He puffed out his chest and looked Beilschmidt right in the eye.

"I'm sorry if the truth offends you, Mister Zwingli." He turned to Élías. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind if I looked about your place, Mister Héderváry? I seem to be spoiling everyone's victory talk." He bowed slightly, turned, and sauntered from the room. Rebekka took shelter behind a curtain, so she could keep out of his line of vision.

"I don't like him; he refused to fight." Vash said, seething.

Élías stepped forward. "Not quite, Vash. He just refused to take advantage of you."

"Take advantage of me? I'll show him." Vash started after him, but Élías held him back.

"Don't go provoking him any more. You'll be needed for much more important fighting soon enough." He released Vash and put his hands into his pockets. "Now if you'll excuse me, Mister Beilschmidt is my guest; I believe I'll show him about the place.

Rebekka waited for Élías to pass the spot where she had been hiding. Once he had, she silently crept after him and ran in to the closest room. She called to him from the door.

"Élías, oh Élías!"

He looked back and turned, walking toward her. "Rebekka? Why aren't you resting with the other girls? Who are you hiding from in here - Vash or the Vargas boys?"

Rebekka couldn't say a word to him. Her heart was beating uncontrollably and her mouth was too dry to form words. Her thoughts raced much too fast to pick out something to say. Élías noticed the glow in her eyes and the flush of her cheeks. He touched her hand, and she began to tremble. Her plan was about to work; it was going to unfold just the way she had hoped.

"What is it? Do you have something to tell me?" Élías asked.

Rebekka's mind was jolted into action. "Oh yes, Élías, I-I love you." Why hadn't she done this before? It seemed so easy.

An odd look that Rebekka couldn't place came over Élías' features. "Rebekka, isn't it enough that you've gathered every other man's heart here today? You've always had mine." He said with that old teasing note that she remembered. This was not going how she had planned.

"Don't tease me now! Do I have your heart, my darling? I lo-"

He placed a finger over her lips in haste, a panicked tone in his voice. "You shouldn't say such things. You don't mean them."

"You do care about me, don't you? Don't you want to marry me?"

"I'm going to marry Lilian."

She grabbed his arm. "But you can't, not if you care for me!"

He wrapped his hands around hers. "Oh Rebekka, you don't know what the word 'marriage' means!"

"I know I love you and I want to be your wife! You don't really love Lilian."

"She's like me; she's a part of my blood. We understand each other."

"But you love me!" She replied.

"Who could help but love you Rebekka? You have so much passion and life. You have so much love, but that's not enough to make a successful marriage between two people who are as different as we are."

"Why don't you say it, you coward? You're afraid to marry me! You'd rather live with that silly little fool who will raise a batch of spineless kids just like her!" Rebekka turned, stomping away in rage, her long gown trailing out behind her.

"You shouldn't say such things about Lilian." Élías called after her.

She turned back to him angrily. "Who are you to tell me I shouldn't? You made me believe you wanted to marry me!"

He slowly approached her. "Did I ever-"

Rebekka felt tears welling behind her eyes. Her heart was beating wildly, threatening to jump from her chest even though she knew what he said was true. He had never been anything more than friendly with her, and when she thought of this, she became even angrier with herself. "You did! You did! You led me on! I'll hate you until I die!"

"Rebekka, please." He held out his hand to her, but rather than accept it, she raised her own hand to slap him harshly across the face with all the strength she could muster. He looked at her for a few moments before quietly exiting the room, leaving her alone.

As she listened to his footsteps fade down the hallway, she realized what she had just accomplished. She had lost Élías; she had let her feelings be known to him in what she deemed 'a wild and pitiful display of emotion'. She should have done it with more care, for now everyone would learn of her spectacle today, and she would be the laughing stock of Austria. With the sound of his footsteps completely lost, she picked up the nearest thing she could and hurled it across the room in anger. The small vase soared over the back of the couch and smashed into plenty of sharp, little pieces as it hit the mantelpiece of the fireplace.

"Don't shoot!" A voice called out teasingly from the other side of the couch. Rebekka's mouth went so dry that all she could do was gasp. Gilbert Beilschmidt slowly peeked over the back of the couch. "Oh, it's just you." he said mockingly, getting up from the couch and making his way over to her. "I thought the war had started."

"Sir, y-you should have said something to make your presence known." She was awestruck.

"In the middle of that beautiful speech? Nah."

Rebekka gulped. He had heard everything. She stood up just a little straighter, trying to regain some of her dignity.

"Oh, and by the way, you're the intruder in this situation. You should have chosen another room. I assumed I had found a place where I would be undisturbed."

She felt her temper flare at this rude man's arrogance. "You, sir, are just an eavesdropper!"

He chuckled. "Eavesdroppers usually hear very interesting stories."

Rebekka gasped slightly at his words. "You are no gentleman." She turned to leave.

Gilbert smirked at her. "And you're no lady."

She quickly turned back to him, her mouth hanging open in shock. "First, you eavesdrop on a private conversation, then you insult me!"

"I meant it as a compliment! Ladies don't interest me. I can always tell what they're thinking, but they never say what they think, and that gets boring. Now you, Miss Edelstein, are quite interesting. I don't know how you can find a man like Élías Héderváry charming; he's quite the bore. I definitely hope to see more of you when you're free of his spell."

"You aren't fit to wipe his boots!" She shouted, storming out of the room.

Gilbert laughed. "And you were going to hate him for the rest of your life!"

Rebekka was heading toward the staircase when she saw the Felicja, Emma, and Lilian coming down after their naps. She quickly moved behind the staircase, overheard them, and was quickly reminded of what that rude Gilbert Beilschmidt had said.

_"Eavesdroppers usually hear very interesting stories."_

"She certainly made a fool of herself today flirting with all those men, it's shameful." Felicja snapped.

"Oh no," Lilian said. "she's just full of life and energy!" Rebekka gagged at the notion of Lilian defending her.

"Well, you saw how she was going after every man she could get her hands on, even Ludwig! She knows he belongs to me." Emma was fuming. She had had her eye on Ludwig Strahler for quite some time.

"And Vash!" Felicja added. "He's supposed to be mine."

"Well," Emma said with contempt. "Men may flirt with girls like Rebekka, but they certainly don't marry them." Rebekka remembered the scene with Élías a few minutes ago, and new tears began to form in her eyes. She watched the three girls move into another room and promptly left her hiding spot. She began to ascend the stairs. She just wanted to forget this day ever happened. She wanted so desperately to take everything back. She wanted to cry in her mother's arms and tell her the whole story, but she knew that to run away from this would only make the stuck-up, young ladies gossip about her even more.

Suddenly, there were people running in every direction. Rebekka had no idea what could have been happening, but she didn't really care. Vash came running over to her, his hair tousled. "Miss Rebekka, have you heard? They've called for soldiers! We're going to fight! Everyone's going to enlist!"

She stopped, her heart beating wildly. "Everyone?" She rushed over to a large window, and she saw all the men and ladies running about the front yard.

"Miss Rebekka, will you be sad to see us go?"

"Oh yes. I-I think I'll cry every night."

"Oh Miss Rebekka, I-I love you, and I know that I could never hope that you could love me, but if you would think about marrying me, you would make me the happiest man in the world. I would do anything for you, I promise."

"W-what was that?" she asked.

"I-I said, Rebekka, would you marry me?"

She saw Élías upon his horse; he was with Lilian. Rebekka seethed as he leant down to kiss her before riding off.

She turned to him. "Yes, Vash, I will."

"Oh, Rebekka, you've made me the happiest man in the world! I'll go speak to your father now!" He kissed her hand and, without another word, sped off in search of Mister Edelstein.

Rebekka looked back to the spot where Élías had sat so handsomely atop his horse, and she spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

"Élías."

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><p>Another chapter done and posted! Let me know what you think of it! By the way, the scene that I mentioned earlier that was one of my favourites is the one when Rebekka finds out Gil was on the couch the whole time and heard her shameful confession. He knows her darkest secret!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Another chapter! Sorry it took so long. I really have no excuse; I'm just lazy. :/

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><p>The wedding was held not two weeks later, and Rebekka held the last name 'Zwingli' for no longer than two months. Vash had been shot in the southern Sweden, leaving Rebekka to face life as a young widow and subsequently freeing her from her hasty decision. Free as she may be, the dark cloud of widowhood always loomed about her. She was not simply able to return to her aloof days as an unwed maiden; there was a certain way in which widows were expected to act, and it was no secret that Rebekka thought it to be a downright bore.<p>

That morning, Natalya silently opened to door to Rebekka's room to find her trying on a tall, pink hat. Natalya was appalled.

"Miss Rebekka! You are supposed to be in mourning! No pink for you!" Natalya snatched the hat off her head.

Rebekka began to pout. "Oh Natalya, I don't care! I'm much too young to be a widow! Black is not a flattering colour on me." She looked to her mourning cap. "I would just scare people wearing that thing."

"You aren't supposed to be around people! You're in mourning!"

"For what? I don't feel sad." Rebekka flung herself down on her bed and began to cry. "Why should I have to pretend?!" Just then, Klara came into the room. Noticing her daughter on the bed, she swept over to her.

"What's wrong, Darling?" She wrapped her arms around Rebekka, who continued to sob.

"My life is over. No one will want to spend time with me. Nothing will ever happen for me." Her mother continued to hold her as she sat up on the bed. "Oh Mutter, I know you think I'm a horrible person, but I don't want to wear black, and I can't even go to any parties."

Klara rubbed Rebekka's back in a comforting gesture. "Oh Darling, you're not horrible, you're young, and it's only natural to want to look and feel young when you are young. Say, here's an idea, how about you spend some time in Vienna with Lilian and her Aunt Anneliese? I'm sure you'll find something fun to do there."

Rebekka sat up a bit straighter and her tears ceased. "Yes, I-I could." She threw her arms around Klara. "Oh Mutter, you're so good to me."

Klara tilted Rebekka's chin up. "Smile." She stood from the bed. "You can take Katyusha with you to Vienna." She moved toward the door. "Natalya, pack Rebekka's things." She turned back to her daughter. "I'll go write Lilian a letter informing her of your visit."

Once Klara had left, Natalya made her opinion known. "I think you should stay here. You'll just get into trouble in Vienna."

Rebekka looked at her warily. "What kind of trouble do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Élías will be going home to visit, and you'll be waiting for him there, just like a lion in the grass. He's married to Miss Lilian now, and-"

Rebekka shot up off the bed. "You go pack my things like Mutter said!"

Natalya was silent.

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><p>As Rebekka rode east in the carriage with Katyusha, she thought about how long it had been since she had been to Vienna. She wondered how much it would have changed since the fighting began. She figured it would be quite empty due to all the men being up north to fight, but she was surprised when she rode into the heart of Austria; the town was huge and bustling with people. Older men were constructing guns and packing ammunition, and young men were coming to pick it up in their carriages and take it back to the battle camps.<p>

She noticed Katyusha staring out the window in disbelief. Katyusha had never seen such a busy place; she had lived at Erde all her life, and she didn't travel far from it. Rebekka didn't think she herself had ever seen as busy a place either. She knew that Vienna was an old city, and she had been here multiple times before, but it had never in the past seemed so daunting.

Because Vienna was jostling with people, Rebekka decided she was going to like it. There was an air of excitement surrounding the city, and there were soldiers on every corner. Yes, she was going to enjoy Vienna. She felt this was where she belonged.

As the carriage entered the residential area of the city, some people came out of their homes to greet her. Lilian must have made a big deal about her arrival. Only a few minutes before Lilian's house was the home of one of the city doctors, Mister Alfred Jones, and his younger sister, Miss Madeline. Alfred Jones was a tall, blonde man who always looked to be in the best of moods. His energy always cheered Rebekka up, and she had a quiet respect for his sister. Madeline Jones was a quiet girl, but she was never afraid to speak her mind. Unfortunately, few people noticed her, as her loud brother often commanded all the attention. She really didn't mind because the few close friends she had were treasured dearly.

"Miss Rebekka, or should I say Mrs. Zwingli? I heard you were coming into town! I hope you'll be staying here for awhile?" Alfred shot her a big smile.

"Oh yes, Mister Jones, I shall hope to stay for quite some time." She replied out the window of the carriage.

"I do hope you'll join me for tea one afternoon, Miss Rebekka." Madeline's soft voice always made Rebekka feel at ease.

"I plan on it, Miss Madeline." She felt the carriage jerk forward. "We must be on our way! Lilian and her Aunt Anneliese will be waiting!" They waved Rebekka off, and she continued up the street.

After about two minutes, the carriage came to a complete stop in front of Lilian and her Aunt Anneliese's residence. On the front porch, Lilian and her aunt stood waiting excitedly for Rebekka, Anneliese's face flushed with joy. She was excited to have Rebekka staying with them, for she had felt very lonely in that big house with just Lilian. Rebekka decided that if she liked living here in Vienna, she would make it her permanent home.

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><p>In the following week, Rebekka really got to know Lilian and her Aunt Anneliese. They were very similar in many ways, both modest and shy, and both possessed a very kind heart. She was always unsure as to where Vash had acquired his fiery temper from until she met his father. He and his sister, Anneliese, were not on speaking terms. For what, Rebekka didn't know, but Vash's father, Heinrich Zwingli, had taken an immediate liking to her. He was an outspoken man, and he wanted Rebekka to stay in Vienna, perhaps to try to bring some form of sense to his sister. Rebekka definitely thought she needed some sense, as Aunt Anneliese had gotten Rebekka a job at the hospital. Every day, she tended to wounded, sick, and diseased men. Every day, she smelled gangrene and blood. Her job would have been made at least a little more enjoyable if she had been allowed to flirt with the men who weren't injured so dreadfully, for they were usually rich and well-born, but the shroud of widowhood that surrounded her prevented that. The unwed girls of Vienna were having no trouble finding husbands.<p>

With the exception of wounded and ill men, she was in a world full of women. Rebekka neither liked nor trusted her own sex, and she was often bored by them, but she was forced to pay visits to Lilian's friends and attend sewing nights to make uniforms for the soldiers. The women often chattered about dances and the men they had met at parties, and it made Rebekka so very jealous. Lilian often spoke of Élías and read his letters out loud to her and Aunt Anneliese. These nights were the ones that Rebekka dreaded the most.

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry this took so long to upload, i'm a horrible persooooonnn...

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><p>Rebekka was excited beyond belief when she was asked at the last minute to sell goods at a party to raise money for the hospital.<p>

Aunt Anneliese, on the other hand, was not happy at all. She sat at a table to the side of the hall, fanning herself. "For a widow to appear in public at a social gathering after barely a year! It's just not fitting! Oh, whenever I think about it, I feel faint!"

"Oh Aunt Anneliese, it's quite alright! The way you say it makes it seem like she came here to dance and have a good time rather than to raise money!" Lili sighed. "She's so dedicated."

Behind the booth where no one could see, Rebekka moved her feet in-time with the music. She was happy she was actually out of her house, but she was still dissatisfied. Everyone else was allowed to dance and have fun, and she was stuck behind this boring booth. She was at the party, but not a part of it. At that moment, Alfred Jones came up to her booth, a twinkle in his eye. He waved Lili over.

"It was a great sacrifice for you ladies to come out this evening, and I thank you for it." He leaned in close to them. "I have a way that I think will raise even more money for the hospital, but it might be a little shocking."

Rebekka perked up. "Tell, tell!"

Alfred leaned back. "Actually, I think I want to keep you two guessing as well!" He chuckled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "But you ladies have to back me up if anyone wants to run me out of town tomorrow!"

"Ohh, you sly dog. Getting our hopes up..." Rebekka answered, a little annoyed.

Alfred laughed again and went off back to the stage. A new song began and Rebekka thought she would scream. She wanted nothing more in the world than to dance. She gazed at all the happy people dancing on the floor, and her eyes rested on a man. A very peculiar man, one she hadn't noticed before, but definitely recognized. His silver hair blended with the older gentlemen here tonight, but his face said that he was anything but old. Yes, Gilbert Beilschmidt. Dressed in a simple, black overcoat; an elegantly-tied cravat; tan riding pants; and polished, black boots; he still held that same arrogant air about him. He caught her gaze, smirked, and started toward her. Rebekka's hand flew to her mouth, and she scurried about in the booth, trying to think of where she could go to hide from him. As she headed out of the booth, her mourning gown caught on a nail. She pulled at it, almost ripping it before she heard him speak from behind her.

"Allow me."

Her body tightened and she sank into submission. He unhooked her dress, and she returned to her booth, defeated.

"I was hoping you would remember me, Miss Edelstein."

The way he referred to her as 'Miss Edelstein' comforted her even through his grating voice. She looked up at him, meeting a pair of blood-red eyes she had not noticed before. Of all the people to show up here, it had to be him. This insolent man who had witnessed the heartbreak between her and l as that day was here. The disagreeable man who had remarked that she was not a lady.

When Lilian heard Gilbert's voice, she turned to him, and Rebekka was actually glad that her sister-in-law was here. "Mister Beilschmidt, how nice of you to come."

He kissed her hand. "You remember me? That's very sweet of you Miss."

"Oh yes, you're the one who has been bringing all the medicine and clothing over from America. You're a great hero here." Lili glanced over to Rebekka. "What's wrong, Rebekka? Are you feeling faint?"

Rebekka sat down on the stool behind the booth, and she thought to herself, "What a horrible turn of events!"

Gilbert picked up her fan and started languidly fanning her. "It is pretty warm in here. May I lead you to a window, Miss Edelstein?"

"No." She answered promptly.

Lili stepped in. "She is no longer Miss Edelstein, she is Mrs Zwingli now. She is my sister-in-law."

Rebekka wanted to smack the arrogant surprise off of Beilschmidt's face.

"My congratulations, Mrs Zwingli."

She hated the way he said that name.

"Are your husbands here tonight? I should like to get reacquainted with them." He asked.

"My husband is fighting in the north," She said with pride. "and Vash, he-"

"He was shot in Sweden." Rebekka snapped.

"My condolences, Mrs Zwingli." There was a tone in his voice that told her he didn't mean a word of what he said, for he knew how she really felt about her late husband.

A soldier holding a basket full of jewelry walked quickly up to the booth. "The army asks for your jewelry in sacrifice, ladies."

"We aren't wearing any." Rebekka snapped. "We're in mourning."

Gilbert reached into the pocket of his coat. "Just a moment," He pulled out a gold cigarette case. "Allow me to make a donation on behalf of Mrs Héderváry and Mrs Zwingli." He dropped the case into the soldier's basket.

"Thank you Mister Beilschmidt." The young man replied as he motioned to leave. Lili looked down at her wedding ring.

"Just a moment." She pulled the ring slowly from her finger.

"But miss, that's your wedding ring." The soldier was shocked.

"I believe it will help my husband more off my finger." She dropped it carefully into the basket.

Gilbert watched her, astonished by her actions. "That was very beautiful, Mrs Héderváry."

Rebekka, not wanting to be upstaged by Lili, quickly pulled her own ring from her finger. "Here, you can have mine too." She threw it in the basket.

"Thank you miss!" The young soldier scurried away.

Gilbert leaned in close to her. "I know just how much that meant to you, Mrs Zwingli."

Lili went into the back room to oversee the refreshments, and Rebekka snapped at Gilbert. "I wish you would go away. If you had any brain at all, you'd know I never want to see you again." She quickly walked to the other end of the booth, but he followed her.

"You have no reason to hate me. In fact, you should be thanking me! I'll carry your secret to my grave."

Rebekka glared at him for a second, then her eyes softened. "Well, I suppose it would be quite unpatriotic to hate one of the great heroes of the war. I was surprised that you turned out to be such a noble man."

He slipped his hands into his pockets and grinned at her, leaning against a post of the booth. "I am neither noble nor heroic."

Rebekka was surprised. "But you bring goods to us from Americ-"

"For profit, and profit alone."

"You don't believe in our army?" She asked.

"I believe in Gilbert Beilschmidt. He's the only thing I care about. This war means nothing to me."

The room hushed as Alfred took to the stage, his arms spreading high in a request for silence. He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, we must thank all the ladies who have made this night possible. They have transformed this hall into the very picture of beauty, and they have hand-crafted all of the items for sale here tonight! Beautiful as they may be, we still need to raise more money for our military hospital, so I have a rather crazy idea!" The room fell completely silent in anticipation of the doctor's words. He chuckled quietly. "If you wish to lead the next dance with the lady of your choice, you have to win her at auction!" The room exploded with screams of bashful, scandalized ladies, but none of them really minded.

Aunt Anneliese thought she would faint; this was definitely not something she was used to.

Gilbert left Rebekka and slowly made his way to the stage. The room was, once again, quiet. Alfred called out to the crowd.

"Come now, don't be shy, gentlemen!" Whispers began to spread throughout the room and bids came flying out of the crowd.

"25 kreuzer for Miss Giselle Dreher!" One man called.

"50 kreuzer for Miss Kristal Hofmann!"

Gilbert stepped to the front of the pack. "150 kreuzer!" The whole room gasped at such a high bid.

"For who?" Alfred asked.

Gilbert smirked. "Mrs Vash Zwingli." The room went dead silent.

Alfred was astounded. "But Mrs Zwingli is in mourning! I'm sure any other woman in the room would be happy to-"

"Doctor Jones, I said Mrs Vash Zwingli." He stood calmly at the front of the stage, every eye in the room fixed on him.

"She won't consider it!" Alfred replied.

"Yes I will!" Rebekka said before she even knew she had been speaking. Everyone in the room gasped and turned to look at her. She flew from the booth and pranced across the floor toward Gilbert, her heart beating wildly at the thought of being the center of attention, being the most desired woman, and mostly, at the thought of dancing again. Gilbert took her hand and led her to the middle of the room, his nasty grin forever present.

"You seem to have shocked the whole country, Rebekka."

"I don't care. Tonight I'm going to dance and have a good time, and no one can make me think otherwise. Tonight, I would even dance with a Prussian."

He took her hand. "Lucky me."

* * *

><p>"One more dance and no one will ever think me respectable again! My reputation would be ruined." She said to him during their waltz.<p>

He laughed. "With a bit of courage, you could do without a reputation."

"Don't say such things!" She said quietly.

"Oh Rebekka, it's really not that bad." He said as they spun around the room. "You don't realize how much of a burden a reputation is until it's gone."

She was quick to change the subject. "Well, Mister Beilschmidt, you've surprised me again! You waltz beautifully." She used her most feminine voice as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

He laughed quietly. "Don't start flirting with me. I'm not a simple country boy. I want much more from you than flirting."

She looked up at him with a wary smile. "What do you want?"

"I'll tell you, Rebekka Edelstein, if you wipe that maiden smile off your face." Her smile instantly faded, and Gilbert drew her closer to him. "Someday I want you to say the same words to me that you said to Élías Héderváry that day at his party: I love you."

Rebekka smiled in contempt, but continued to waltz with him. "You'll never hear those words from me, Gilbert Beilschmidt, for as long as you live."

Her words had not shaken him, for he continued to grin like the very devil he was.

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><p>I hope you like it! Thank you so much for reading, my darlings!<p> 


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